One concern for those who don’t participate in Web 2.0 is the awareness that the future will hold much more permanent, and public, information about each of us. And those who participate in the new social media will be forever searchable. The younger you are, the less likely you are to care, and the more interested you are in fame, popularity, and being connected 24/7.

For businesses it’s another story. This article on BusinessWeek.com starts out –

“When Jonathan Fields spotted William Shatner waiting to board a JetBlue flight at New York’s JFK in May, he did what any other self-respecting blogger would do. He popped open his Apple (AAPL) Mac, connected to the Web using the free Wi-Fi provided by JetBlue, and used Twitter to share the sighting with pals. “JetBlue terminal,” Fields wrote on the blog service that lets users send short messages of 140 characters with status updates to groups of friends. “William Shatner waiting in pinstripe suit and shades to board flight to Burbank. Why’s he flying JetBlue? Free, maybe?”

But he was caught off guard by what happened next. Within 10 seconds he got an e-mail informing him that JetBlue (JBLU) was following him on Twitter.

“It totally startled me,” says the 42-year-old author, who initially worried that JetBlue might be monitoring his use of the Wi-Fi connection. JetBlue employee Morgan Johnston quickly explained that wasn’t the case. JetBlue keeps tabs on what Twitter users say about it, using a scanning tool, to find customers who might need information, say, on flight delays or cancellations, Johnston said.”

Businesses can instantly respond to negative chat about their brands and correct any problem they perceive. The goal is to establish an ongoing positive relationship with their customers.

Those who use Twitter, and other social media, are more likely to view this as a positive, and not a creepy event. And businesses can benefit.